Braiding hair
by ThatOneGuyThatWrites
Summary: Morgan bugs her father in her usual way. Followed by the quest to find Morgan's mother.
1. Chapter 1

"Daaaaad!"

"Yes dear?"

"My feet hurt!"

Robin sighed and patted the small tactician's head. "I told you, you shouldn't be up and about. You only just recovered from the last battle."

"I'm fine!" Morgan grinned. "But what I really want is for you to carry me!"

Beside Robin, Virion snickered. Ignoring the duke, Robin rolled his eyes. "Morgan, you're old enough to walk yourself."

"Nu-uh!" Morgan pouted. "You don't even know how old I am! For all anyone knows, I could look old for my age!"

Robin sighed and stepped off to the side of the road, dropping to one knee. "C'mon then, if only for a little." Morgan grinned and vaulted on to his shoulders, resting her legs on his chest. Robin rose to his feet and staggered forward, adjusting himself. "Gods, how much do you weigh?" Robin muttered.

Above him, Morgan smacked him lightly on the head. "Dad! You never say something like that to a lady! No wonder you're still single!"

"Well, finding your mother will have to wait until the whole 'Apocalypse scenario,' is over with. I can hardly have any time to myself, let alone see a woman." He huffed.

Morgan leaned forward, head just at the top of Robin's vision. "Awh, look at you! All flustered thinking about mom!"

Robin blushed and nudged her head up. Morgan grinned and idly played with Robin's long hair. "Do you think mom is from the Shepherds? Or do you think you meet her after the war, returning home a hero, surrounded by swooning women?"

"I hardly think that's the case." Robin groaned, blush growing on his face.

"Awh Dad!" Morgan sighed. "You're just so cute when you're flustered!" She teased, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead and raising her voice in a mocking tone. "Oh dearest heroic Robin, saviour of our home! Please, come with me to the nearest inn! We shall spend the night awa-"

"I'll kindly ask you not to finish that sentence." Robin said sternly. Morgan giggled in response, twirling her hands in her father's hair. A few seconds of silence fell on the tacticians, broken quickly by Morgan's ever-whimsy personality.

"Can I braid your hair?" She asked, already starting to fold a few locks of Robin's hair.

"Do you know how to braid?' Robin asked hesitantly.

"I dunno!" Morgan chirped, happily setting to work. "And after I'm done, you can braid my hair!"

"I don't know how to braid." Robin said simply.

Morgan huffed. "Well, I guess you'll just have to learn!"

Robin opened his mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by a distinct _twang_ erupting from the trees to the north. A sickening _thump_ resounded in Robin's ears for a moment, followed by Morgan falling off Robin's shoulders onto the dirt.

Robin spun quickly, at his daughter's side in a heartbeat. An arrow was protruding from her stomach, broken through her shirt as blood pooled around the foreign object. Robin's mouth opened, scared. His mind blank unsure what to do.

Beside him, Virion sent a return arrow to the trees, calling out for the Shepherds to attack. As the rest of the warriors charged past into the treeline, Robin screamed. "LISSA! MARIBELLE! HELP!" He screamed as loud as he could, feeling like he was tearing his throat apart. He didn't stop until a familiar blonde-haired priest was at his side.

Libra gently moved Robin aside, bringing his staff up to Morgan's stomach.

()()()()

Robin sat silently beside his daughter, stroking her face softly as she rested. She would be...fine, according to Libra. It still worried the tactician beyond reasoning, mind flashing back to her pained face as she lay in the dirt.

Of course, the Shepherds had easily routed the Valmese ambushers, cutting them all down in a combined effort to avenge the bubbly tactician-in-training. The girl had, in her three weeks since joining the Shepherds, wormed her way into everyone's heart. Even, surprisingly enough, Lon'qu's. The Feroxian had reluctantly agreed to train her, something that Robin had to beg him for months to even get a response other than 'No.'

"Gods, Robin..." Lissa sighed, sitting down beside the man. "I'm so sorry..."

Robin shook his head. "It's..." Robin hesitated to speak the word. "...Fine. She'll make a full recovery..." He said hoarsely. His throat hurt from the distraught screaming he had done, followed by the open sobbing he displayed at her side in the medical tent. Robin had never cried so hard in all his three years of memory.

"Is there anything I can do?' Lissa asked.

Robin chuckled dryly. "Do you know how to braid hair?"

()()()()

Morgan woke groggily, hands instinctively flying to her sore stomach. "Ugh..." She groaned, rolling over in bed.

"Hey there..." A hoarse voice coughed from her bedside.

Eyes wide, Morgan rolled over quickly to see her dishevelled father sitting in a chair, hands on a closed book. Relaxing, Morgan let a small smile grow on her face. "Uh...maybe next time I'll walk myself..." She said, attempting to laugh the situation off.

"Morgan." Robin said sternly. "As the chief grandmaster of the Shepherds...I make quite the high-value target. I think today was an attempt on my own life." He sighed and leaned forward. "I think the archer missed me, instead hitting you. Now, I know you want to stay here, but I have prepared a small envoy to escort you back to the docks, back to Ylisse."

Morgan leaned forward, despite her protesting stomach. "No! How can I learn from you from all the way back there!?"

"I'm sending you back. I can't lose you."

"You forget why Lucina, myself, and the others came back, dad! To stop this! To save the world! I can't do that by sitting idly at home."

Robin sighed. "I knew you would say that." He said, deafeated.

Morgan grinned. "I love you, dad."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. Don't make me blush."

Morgan laughed and ran a hand through her hair. Confused, she felt around on her head, Robin looking on with a suppressed grin. Morgan felt around in her coat, surprising her father by withdrawing a small mirror. She angled it and looked at her own head, laughing when she saw the poor attempt of braids in her hair.

"Did you do this?' Morgan giggled.

"I had a crash-course in braiding, courtesy of Owain's mother."

Morgan laughed and hugged her father tightly. "You need work." She smirked, tightening her grip. Robin smirked and patted her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Robin burst into the war tent, scrolls of paper and books piled in his arms. "Sorry I'm late!" He gasped, breathless from his mad dash across camp. "Morgan was supposed to wake me earlier..." Robin set the papers down and looked across the table, seeing the council staring at him.

The Khans of Regna Ferox, as well as Chrom, broke at the same time, all gasping for air as they laughed. Maribelle, Virion, and Say'ri bit back their laughter, sporting grins nonetheless. Queen Sumia was the only person who held their composure. She looked down, clearly embarrassed for the tactician.

"What are you all..." Robin said, running a hand through his hair. Stopping suddenly, realization hit Robin like a ballista shot. "Gods damn it Morgan..." He growled.

()()()()

"Did you really have to do that?" Robin huffed, walking briskly into his daughter's tent. Morgan perked up, closing the tactics manual in her lap. She grinned, seeing her father's hair, still full of poorly-done braids and strange hair-clips.

"It's all tactics, dad!" She giggled. "I waited for you to sleep, went to work, and then didn't wake you. I knew that you would be late, and be in a mad rush. That way, you would not notice your hair!"

Robin groaned and sat down on Morgan's cot. "B+ for tactics." He commented, smiling at his daughter's sparkling eyes. "F for making me look like a fool in front of half the world's royalty."

"Daaad!" Morgan whined, standing from her folding desk and jumping at him. She tackled Robin into the cot, beating on his chest softly. "That's mean!"

Robin chuckled and caught both her wrists. "How about you get this ridiculousness out of my hair, and then we head down to the nearby town. I think they have a bookstore, maybe a decent cafe for lunch?"

Morgan relaxed and grinned. "Okay!"

"You're still on laundry duty for two weeks." Robin said dryly.

"Daaaaaaaaaaad!"

()()()()

"You know, Roseanne is really beautiful. For once, I think Virion _wasn't exaggerating._ " Robin commented, placing both hands behind his head.

The mountainous valley they had camped in was small, but still incredible. The snow-capped mountains that bordered Chon'sin towered above, dominating the skyline like gentle behemoths. Forests and fields filled with a rainbow of coloured flowers filled the valley, coming together as a location that Robin could scarcely believe existed.

"Yeah..." Morgan commented idly, eyes focused on the cobble road.

"What's up, kiddo?" Robin asked, slowing his walk.

Morgan paused, biting her lip. "I dunno." She admitted. "I just...get this feeling about this place."

"Feeling?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like...it's...home?" Morgan suggested, not entirely sure herself.

"Hm. That's interesting..." Robin mumbled, the gears in his head quickly turning. If Morgan felt such a pull to this place, combined with Robin's own appreciation of the valley, he could only come to the conclusion that...

"Do you think you meet mom here?" Morgan asked with a wide smirk, looking up to gauge her father's reaction. Robin sighed and tried to ignore the heat rising on his face.

"Morgan, you've said that same thing about every town we've passed since landing on Valm."

"But dad! What if! Think about it!" Morgan said, waving her arms widely. "If I have a sense of familiarity to this area, don't you think that it would be because we lived here?"

"It's true that I do enjoy this valley...it's quite scenic..." Robin agreed. "However, this could have easily been a vacation spot for us, in the future." He said, shooting Morgan a deadpan stare.

"You're no fun." Morgan rolled her eyes. "Still, be on the lookout for a pretty lady!" She giggled, skipping ahead slightly. Robin rubbed his temples. It was going to be a long afternoon, if Morgan's constant questions about who he found attractive in the past were anything to go by.

As the tactician duo crested a hill, the small town of Lillian appeared. A lazy river floated past the town, a few stone bridges crossing it at various points. The village was sparse and spread out across a wide field, with no gates of walls in sight. Houses were a larger distance away, not having to be confined to tight spaces like back in Ylisstol. Mostly made of wood and topped with a red-clay roof, the houses had an air of comfort to them that Robin envied.

Children ran through a field of flowers, ignoring a woman's exasperated shouting. Towards the centre of town, a statue stood. Robin couldn't pick out who it was supposed to depict, but he guessed it was a hero of an age long-past, like the hero king Marth.

"Whoa...this village..." Morgan gasped, falling to her knees suddenly.

"Morgan!" Robin shouted, at his daughter's side in a heartbeat.

"I'm...alright." Morgan hissed, teeth grinding together and eyes shut. "I just...saw the village...and got this headache."

"Are you going to be okay?" Robin asked hesitantly, feeling useless.

"Yeah, just let me catch my breath..." Morgan sighed.

"Robin!" A voice called from behind. Turning, Robin found himself looking at a worried Lissa and silent Lon'qu. "What's wrong with Morgan?" Lissa gasped, healing staff in hand.

"A headache." Robin replied instantly. "She saw the town and just fell over..." He paused, watching as Lissa applied a small amount of healing magic to Morgan's forehead. "I think her memories are trying to break through whatever block is in her mind..." Robin said absently.

"That might explain why this healing staff isn't working as well as it should..." Lissa mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, fearful.

Lissa leaned back, looking tired. "Normally a staff can heal wounds no problem, except for when dark magic is involved. That takes a _lot_ more work to heal." Lissa raised an eyebrow at Robin's face. "What? I'm a fully-licensed cleric I'll have you know! I learned all this stuff!" She crossed her arms.

"Anyways, Morgan seems to be affected by some sort of dark magic in her head. Like a...hex or something..." Lissa offered, not quite sure herself.

Robin sighed in relief as Morgan relaxed, already feeling better. "Thanks Auntie Lissa!" Morgan grinned. "But, does that mean that someone messed with my memories before I came back in time?" She asked.

Lissa shrugged, applying more magic to the tactician-in-training. Lon'qu grunted, looking down at the town.

"I'll have Henr-wait, never mind. I'll have...Tharja look at you once we get back, okay?" Robin asked. Morgan nodded. "Are you sure you still want to head down?"

Morgan nodded, ignoring Lissa's annoyed grumbling as the princess attempted to heal her. "I do, whenever Auntie Lissa is done."

Lissa looked up at Robin. "This might take a little while longer. Why don't you down and we'll catch up."

"Are you sure?"

"Go ahead, dad! Uncle Lonnie will protect me!" Morgan snickered, seeing Lon'qu's eyebrow twitch.

"Right then...take care." Robin sighed, stepping down the path.

()()()()

Robin wandered through the streets, looking for any signs of the fabled bookstore he heard of. So far, nothing had come up. He was very close to asking for directions. Still, Robin fully believed he could find it without help. After all, if he could win a war against a mad king, he could find a bookstore.

Ten minutes later, he finally came to the conclusion he needed help. It wasn't like Lillian was the big of a town anyway, he must have made at least two passes around the entire place. Mad at himself for being unable to locate a simple bookstore, Robin approached a girl wearing a set of armour.

She wore the colours of the city guard, complete with a purple-plumed helmet. The armour as slightly too big on her tiny frame. Robin knew better, but at first glance the girl could easily be mistaken for an older child, with her tiny frame.

The girl, probably age sixteen or seventeen, held a lance tightly in one hand, eyes scanning the treeline outside of town for danger. Her hair was strewn down her back, a loose lock hanging over one shoulder. A blonde cowlick poked over the top of her helmet. Robin paused, noting the colour.

Robin had questioned Morgan about her hair long ago, having not seen any colour like that before, himself included. Morgan's hair was blonde at the root, turning into a light orange mid-way through her scruff before finishing at the tips in a bright red. It certainly was eye-catching, and Robin wondered if she had somehow dyed it.

This girl had the exact same hair as Morgan.

Robin felt his heart race. If this was his future wife, oh gods. She was young, sure, but Robin was no older than twenty-three. Surely that much of an age difference wasn't too bad. Hell, just look at Gregor and Nowi!

Still, it unnerved Robin to even speak to the girl. He was nervous. ' _What ifs'_ circled in Robin's mind, clouding his judgement and only serving to make him feel more and more flustered. Finally, the girl seemed to take notice of Robin's presence a few feet behind her.

The girl spun, revealing a set of large, brown eyes. "Hello, do you need anyth-" The girl paused, shock coming over her face. "Y-you-you're..."

Robin raised an eyebrow, heart beating so fast he swore this girl could hear it from where she stood. Now that he was so close, Robin realized just _how_ similar this girl looked to Morgan. The same face, the same, albeit longer, hair. The eyes and nose were slightly different, but it was nonetheless mostly Morgan.

"Oh gods!" She gasped, taking a step back. "You're...the Shepherd's tactician!"

"Yes..." Robin said, throat tight. A bead of sweat formed on the back of Robin's neck.

"I-I-I gotta go!" The girl yelled, taking off in a sprint towards the centre of town.

Robin's jaw fell open, hand extended as if he meant to stop her. Lowering his hand Robin heaved a sigh.

"Well, Mr. Tactician!" A familiar voice called from behind him. "That girl looked awfully similar to a certain time-travelling daughter of yours, didn't she?" Lissa said with a cheeky grin. Beside her, Morgan giggled happily and jumped up and down.

"Ha! I _knew_ this place felt familiar!" She cheered.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin shifted awkwardly in his chair, attempting to make eye contact with the girl, who's name he had learned to be Velvet. The girl was nervous as well, but Robin was still attempting to mask the whole dinner under the guise of business. After all, Robin did call her here to discuss the town's safety.

"Sir...Robin..." Velvet began, clearing her throat. "What did you want to discuss about Lillian's safety? We are safe from Valm for now, and the Risen are less of a threat every day. As far as I'm concerned, the town is fine."

Robin leaned forward in his chair, resting an arm on the table. "It may be safe _now_ , but Risen can appear from nowhere. We still do not understand the creatures, so I think it would be best to up the guard, or move the town to a safer village, one with walls."

"You cannot simply ask these people to leave." Velvet said sternly. "It would leave the town open to bandits, to the elements! It would be lost within a month."

"I understand." Robin assured her. "But it is simply in the best interests..."

Morgan groaned and leaned against the small bush she and Lissa hid behind. This date was going nowhere fast, and if her father kept this up, there was no way she would be born in this timeline! She had to tell her dad to get back on track, or she could disappear!

"Tell dad to get on with it!" Morgan whispered to Lissa. The princess nodded, leaning forward in the bush.

"Psst! Robin!" Her loud ' _Whisper_ ' drew the attention of a few other patrons sitting outside, all giving the cleric strange looks. Robin, for his part, played it off as best he could, simply ignoring it and hardly faltering in his speech. Velvet, on the other hand, was giving the bush a strange eye, unsure if she had heard that voice at all. It tugged at the back of her mind, bringing back long-forgotten memories.

"I also think that the Shepherds could use people like yourself. So if it pleases you, would you travel with us? We could work together, secure the future of this world." Robin said, looking directly at Velvet.

"I...am not sure...this town needs me." Velvet said, looking down at the table. "I'm not entirely comfortable leaving it behind...it holds so many dear memories..."

"You could save this town from the Valmese." Robin offered.

"Get on with it!" Lissa whispered from the bush, drawing more attention to herself.

"That voice..." Velvet stood, sliding her chair back. "Is that...?"

Lissa jumped up, scratching the back of her head. "Ahh! There's my earring! Sorry for disturbing you Robin, I'll let you get back to your date!" She giggled nervously, backing up a step.

"Date...?" Velvet trailed off, before snapping her head up. "Auntie Lissa?" Velvet's eyes widened, hands suddenly clasping over her mouth. "Oh no..." She mumbled into her hands.

"...Auntie?" Robin muttered.

"Wait..." Velvet lowered her hands in realization. "Date?" Velvet yelled, looking to Robin. "You...you...absolute pervert! Have you no shame! Disgusting filth! Pervert!"

"Hey!" Morgan stood quickly, leaping to her father's side. "My dad is awesome! Even if you may be my mom, I won't let that kind of thing stand!"

Velvet's jaw fell open. "M-M-Morgan...?" She whispered, stepping towards the girl. "Is that...really you?"

"How do you know my name...?"

"Oh gods Morgan!" Velvet jumped forward, leaning into Morgan's shoulder. "I missed you so much! Oh gods!" Tears streamed down her face as she cried, smiling and sobbing. "Where have you been! Have you seen Marc? Where are your gloves? Why didn't you see me right away? Your hair has gotten long again! Where's your scarf?"

"Umm...how do you know me?' Morgan asked, attempting to pry herself out of Velvet's grip.

"...What do you mean? You don't remember your big sis?"

"Big sis!?" Robin yelped, falling backwards in the cafe.

"Are you really my big sister...?" Morgan asked, looking quizzically at Velvet. "I'm bigger than you..."

Velvet's face darkened. "Hey! I thought we agreed to not make fun of my height any more!"

"But...I lost my memories!" Morgan yelled, face screwed up in frustration.

"Oh...my dear little sister..." Velvet sighed, stroking Morgan's hair softly. "You may not remember me, but I'll take care of you! Just like I did back home..."

"So..." Lissa spoke up, hands folded hesitantly. "I'm guessing you're not Robin's wife?"

"WIFE!?" Velvet yelled, turning to Lissa. "That's disgusting! Ew! Gross!" Velvet shook slightly and gagged. "Bleh!"

"Two daughters...huh..." Robin muttered absently, feeling terribly embarrassed.

"Why didn't you just tell dad who you were when you saw him?" Morgan asked, ignoring the looks everyone else in the cafe was giving the family.

"But...Lucina said not to interfere! I couldn't just run to him, yelling 'Daddy!' Even if I wanted to..." Velvet said.

"Oh..." Morgan remarked. "Don't worry about that! Lucina and the others are already with the Shepherds!"

"So that means..." Velvet stood and swallowed, walking over to Robin. The tactician quickly stood, face red.

"Let me properly introduce myself..." Velvet said. "My name is Velvet, and I'm your daughter." She hugged him tightly, shaking with relief. "And I missed you...so much..." She cried, hugging him tighter.

Robin reached down and returned the hug, smiling gently. "Hello, Velvet...welcome home..."

()()()()

"What's my favourite colour? Oh! Do I like vegetables? When's my birthday? How old are you? How old am I!?"

"Easy Morgan, you're overwhelming her." Robin chided.

"Ugh! I wanna knoooow!" Morgan whined.

Velvet chuckled, patting her sister's back. "Don't worry, Morg. I'll tell you all about...you...tonight!"

"Vel!" A voice called from inside the Shepherds camp. The family turned, seeing a grinning Lucina. "It's so good to see you unharmed!"

"Lucy!" Velvet greeted, embracing the future princess. "I wish I knew you revealed yourselves...you could have saved me a _lot_ of trouble."

"How so?" Lucina asked, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Just...don't ask..." Velvet muttered, pantomiming gagging.

"Lucina!" Chrom greeting, stepping up behind his daughter. "And who's this?" He asked.

"Father!" Lucina smiled. "This is Velvet...Robin's first born."

Chrom looked over to Velvet. "Ah, welcome to the Shepherds!" He smiled, grinning at Robin over the girl's head.

"Thank you...uncle..." Velvet said, bowing slightly.

"Ah...there's no need for formalities." Robin assured her. Velvet blushed and stepped back.

"Er...sorry."

"No worries!" Chrom said. "Robin, I heard you found a girl in town that looked awfully like Morgan, apparently your future wife?"

Robin shook his head frantically. "Uh...no? What are you talking about?"

"Earlier, Lissa was going on and about it..." Chrom stopped talking once he saw the deathly glare boring into his soul from the tactician. "Uh, never mind then, I must...have been mistaken?"

"Good." Robin grunted, shooting him a glare that said; _We'll discuss it later._

()()()()

"Really? But I like broccoli! It tastes super good with melted cheese!" Morgan hummed, kicking her feet over the edge of the bed.

Velvet chuckled and slid off her boots, climbing into the fold-able cot opposite Morgan. "I remember you refusing to eat the things." She explained. "You'd always make a huge fuss out of it, and I'd end up eating them so mom didn't get you in trouble."

Morgan went silent for a moment. "Speaking of mom..." She questioned hesitantly. "Do you know where she is?"

Velvet sighed. "All I know is that dad met her in Roseanne, before the war with Valm ever started."

"Wait, so dad lived in Roseanne in the other timeline?"

"Yes. After the long war with Plegia and Gangrel, dad wanted to get away from the country for good, or something along those lines. He travelled around Valm for a bit, and apparently he met mom along the way. They settled down in the village where you found me for a time, then Valm began to take over."

"Then what happened?"

"Dad and mom moved to Ylisse, to escape the war. Eventually, it caught up...and now we are here."

"So there's no definite place we know of where dad meets mom..."

"Gods, I know that face." Velvet sighed with a grin. "What are you scheming now?"

Morgan grinned and pulled out a thick blue-covered tome. "I have been working on a plan to get dad on a date with potential mom candidates. Now that you are here, we can set them up together when we find her!"

 **A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated. I'm currently doing NaNoWriMo, and that's been a lot of my time. Another update after NaNo is done. I promise.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you know that Robins are one of the few birds that love the rain?" Lissa said absently, staring out the back of the bumpy cart. The skies had turned a sudden shade of grey, followed by a torrential downpour. Most of the Shepherds were unlucky enough to not have a cloak on hand.

Robin groaned. "I'm...not a fan." The Shepherds were lucky enough, however, to have run across a caravan trading company, and with a little persuasion on Anna's part, managed to secure a dry mode of travel for all the unmounted units. Robin was quite happy he was no longer slogging through the muddy back roads of Roseanne.

"Cheer up!" Lissa grinned. "At least we're dry!"

"It's more than the weather that's on my mind..." Robin trailed off, shooting a glance at his two daughters. They were both leaning on each other, sleeping soundly at the front of the cart. It was no surprise, they had been assigned to patrol the campsite the night before.

"Still thinking about their mother?" Lissa said quietly, her eyebrows dancing.

"Hardly." Robin shot back. "It's more the fact that we lost in the future..."

"It's not your fault..." Lissa replied.

Robin shook his head "It's my _job_ to keep us alive. If I can't do that..."

Lissa remained quiet, instead turning back to staring out the canvas flaps of the cart. Robin sighed tiredly. A little nap couldn't hurt.

()()()()

Robin found himself staring at the floor of the cart. A sudden spike of pain erupted on the back of his skull, making his eyes water. Blinking, Robin stood on shaky legs. He stood, bent over that the waist, in the centre of the toppled cart, frantically searching for his daughters.

Velvet and Morgan were both awake, rubbing bruises and looking around just as confused as Robin was. "Dad?" Morgan questioned, standing up.

The sounds of fighting surrounded them, and Robin withdrew his tome. "No time, prepare for battle." He ordered, pushing out the ripped flaps of the upside-down cart.

Bandits. There was no mistaking the simple trousers and mostly-shirtless men armed with rugged axes. They all seemed to look the same, even across the sea from Ylisse. Chrom and Vaike were fighting back-to-back, felling bandits left and right. Cherche, Sumia, Gerome, Cordelia, and the two manaketes swooped across the cliff-top, dispatching the bandits hidden up there.

Robin spun and hoisted himself on top of the toppled cart, wincing when he saw the horse corpses that pulled it hours ago. Rocks had fallen from high above, tipping the cart and bringing the merchant caravan to a stand-still.

The bandits seemed to have picked a decent place to ambush the merchant caravan, but they probably did not expect it to be guarded by the Shepherds. Robin glanced around, his elevated position giving him a great view of the battlefield.

The bandits were being routed easily by the Shepherds, in fact, Robin thought that he didn't even need to start sending out commands. That was until he spotted a group of bandits surrounding a singular person. He couldn't quite see the figure from his spot, but Robin guessed it must have been a merchant who was travelling with them.

"Morgan, Lon'qu!" Robin shouted, drawing his sword. "That way!" He pointed with his blade, receiving a nod in return. The Feroxi swordsman bolted off, Morgan at his heels. Robin glanced over his shoulder. "Velvet, protect Lissa!"

"Yes, father!" She said seriously, pounding the heel of her lance into the dirt.

Robin vaulted off the toppled cart, landing in the wet mud with a wet slap. He followed after Morgan, watching as the girl threw a fire spell into a bandit's face. Lon'qu was already cutting down his second bandit, the first lying still on the ground.

The person the bandits had surrounded seemed to hold their own, the cloaked figure firing off arrows into the remaining bandits. Robin wasted no time, sliding up beside Morgan and parrying an axe meant for her back. Robin elbowed the bandit roughly, using his free hand to fire a small wind spell into the bandit's face.

The man stumbled backwards, almost toppling over. Robin quickly struck with his sword, severing the bandit's head in a single sweep. A moment later, an arrow impacted the still-standing body of the bandit, feathered shaft sticking from the heart.

Robin shot a glance at the archer, raising his eyebrow. Who Robin had thought was just a simple merchant, turned out ot be the mystery archer. The archer shrugged, pulling another arrow from a quiver at his hip. Robin quickly sized up the person, noting their apparent abilities and weaknesses.

The person was short, quick, and deadly accurate with a bow. They wore a grey cloak, with plain pants as well as a hood drawn over their head. From the skin showing on his hands and lower face, Robin could tell the person was most likely from Plegia, due to the tanned skin.

A few moments later, a cheer erupted around Robin. It seemed in the brief span of time he had been examining the new archer, the bandits had been routed. He glanced down the path, spotting a few running with weapons discarded.

Robin walked up to the archer. "Hey, sorry for not spotting the bandits earlier. As Shepherds, we should have stopped this kind of thing." He said, offering a hand. "My name is Robin, tactician."

()()()()

Morgan giggled at Yarne's panicked face, arms outstretched for his ears. "Bunny!" She laughed, narrowly missing the taugel as he ducked away from the girl.

"Vel!" He called, bounding over to the lancer and hiding behind her tiny frame. "Tell your sister to leave me alone!"

Velvet groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yarne, go...find your mother or something..."

The taugel nodded, scampering off to the rear of the half-destroyed caravan. Velvet looked up, grinning at the bright sky. "I love the smell after it rains." She said wistfully.

Morgan sniffed. "I can only smell blood..."

Velvet gently beat her fist off Morgan's shoulder. "You know what I mean." She deadpanned.

The taller, younger sister giggled. "So sis, any sign of mom? Do you think she's somewhere among the merchants?"

Velvet shrugged. "Like I told you, mom never really told us exactly where and how they met. I think she told Marc something though...he was older than me..."

"Who's Marc?" Morgan asked, but was cut off by Chrom shouting. "Shepherds!" The prince yelled. "Let's clear the path, move some rocks or help repair carts!" The Shepherds moved off to assist the merchants, leaving the two sisters standing beside the overturned cart.

"So...how are we gonna lift it?" Morgan asked, scratching her head.

()()()()

"I'm Sahiri." The archer said back, her voice soft and melodic.

Robin shook her hand. "Were you with these merchants?" He asked, slightly surprised the archer turned out to be a woman.

"No." Sahiri replied, slinging her bow over one shoulder and adjusting her cloak. Her hood remained over her face, blocking Robin's view of her eyes. "I was...following you."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Why?" He asked, hand slowly moving towards his spellbook.

"Personal business. Now, if you don't mind..." She spun on her heel, marching down the path.

"Wait!" Robin called, jogging to her side. "I know this is sudden, but we could use your help. You're good with a bow, and we don't have a whole lot of archers..."

Sahiri kept walking. "Sorry, not interested." She said dismissively, waving him off.

"You could help us free these people!" Robin insisted.

Sahiri paused, if only for a moment. She shook her head, continuing down the path. Robin sighed. _What a strange girl_.

()()()()

Morgan grinned and cracked her knuckles. "All in a day's work!" She cheered, jumping a little.

Vaike groaned and leaned against the now-righted cart. "Easy for you to say kid..." He gasped.

"Hey, I supervised!" Morgan pouted, crossing her arms.

Velvet appeared at Morgan's side, Gerome, Brady, and Owain in tow. "Morgan I brought some to help us flip the..." She trailed off, noticing Vaike panting beside the cart. "Ah...I see you fixed the problem then..." Velvet chuckled.

"Hark!" Owain shouted, coming alongside Velvet. "My heroic father has already completed the task! As expected of the father of Owain-dark!"

Morgan rolled her eyes, chuckling idly. "Yeah..." Her eyes caught sight of her father, the man taking with Chrom. She skipped happily towards him, leaving Owain mid-rant. As she approached, she could hear a bit of the conversation.

"...I'm just saying, she was _really_ good with a bow."

Chrom shrugged. "But she left?" Robin nodded, and Chrom continued. "Well, nothing we can do now. If we see her again, I'll talk to her." The prince said, clapping Robin on the shoulder.

"Are you talking about mom?" Morgan said with a giggled, bouncing on her heels. Robin shook his head with a sigh.

"No, Morgan. Just some girl who helped us kill the bandits..."

"Anyways, let's get these people back on their feet." Chrom continued. "Then we'll head to Steiger."

 **A/N:**

 **So November happened. I can happily say I accomplished NaNoWriMo, 50k words in 30 days. Whew. Still not done that project, but I'm working on it. As always, now there's exams and final projects. Might be a bit closer to Christmas for the next update, till then Merry Holidays and such. :D**


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